gap year

[Wanda]

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I'm currently unemployed and graduated from school. Wondering how to best use my time other than trying to get shadowing positions and preparing for the DAT. Do you think that getting certification as a dental assistant would be helpful? Do you think finding a job in a nondental field would hurt my application? How easy is it to find work as a dental assistant without certification? Thanks.

 

[rewJW]

If your GPA is shaky, enroll in some classes to raise it up. If not, do things to improve your application in other ways, e.g. do some community-oriented volunteering or some research. Schools want to know you are doing something in the year off. It's not really easy to get a job in the dental field with zero experience, although I can tell you that I was lucky enough to do just that, and it has been a tremendously beneficial experience. I don't think it'd be beneficial, however, to get a DA certification unless you are certain you want to find a job in the dental field up until school starts... at least that seems to be the opinion of most of the people on this forum. (Inexperienced dental assistants don't make much money, btw.) Plus, depending on where you live, it can be a lot of work to become a CDA/RDA/or even just get your x-cray license. I only got my x-ray license because I was already working as a DA and plan on continuing to work as a DA through d-school. You will definitely be able to find a place to shadow without needing any certification; they're not paying you to observe them so they don't need you to be certified, lol.

 

[Ranelar]

If you're gonna get a job, try to get a research job. I wouldn't bother with a certification.

 

[StirrinIt]

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[eldirty]

Like others have said you should consider the strength of your application before making such a decision. No question, you can always increase your GPA a bit, study a bit more for the DAT, or volunteer more. I have in fact met a few dentists that like to hire inexperienced assistants and train them ... especially willing in the case of a predent. I wouldnt worry about the certificate but you will more than likely need to be x-ray certified. Give us some more information and we'll be able to give better opinions.

 

[2school4cool]

yeah i give the thumbs up towards becoming employed. never hurts to accumulate a few spare bucks before dschool.

i was in your situation last year... trying to find a full time job in my year off. however, with the job market being so foul, it was really hard for me to procure one, so if you're indeed serious about working full time, i would start looking for a job early 🙂 i also found that a lot of employers want a 1yr requirement minimum so the more time you give, the better your chances are of getting hired.

i would recommend research if anything b/c it requires the least amount of training/requirements, unless you're perhaps interested in doing front work @a dent office. it might even be to your benefit to do a non-dental research b/c in a year, you probably will be able to publish or at the least put your name on a paper, which would be great if you want to research in dschool.

also, i would maybe try to take some late night classes to keep your mind in the habit of studying. but i guess with the dat.. haha yeah that will msot definitely keep ya focused. i'm taking some jc classes right now so hopefully my brain won't be completely fried by the time i start school in a few months.

g' luck

 

[sonrie]

I'm thinking of doing that too. i already have two jobs lined up for this summer one is working in a dental laboratory and the other is as a dental assistant. During the Fall because of the cost of tuition i plan to take off and work full time. So i Say Work and make some $$$$. 😀

 

[Wanda]

After the DAT and shadowing for a few weeks/months, I will need to get a job to help pay expenses. I had a nondental career already before I decided that I will apply to dental school. I would probably get paid more if I worked in my gap year in my previous nondental career than if I was a dental assistant. However, I am concerned that if worked in my former nondental career in my gap year that it might raise questions as to whether dentistry is what I really want to do.

I'm not interested in research, having done it before. I don't want to take more courses to raise my GPA because money is my biggest issue right now - I need to work. Do you think for a career changer that the best thing for me to do is to shadow/work as a dental assistant for a year to prove my commitment to the dental field? Thanks.

 

[lafuturedent82]

I say do research, research, research. You will learn a lot, get new contacts and people to write you letters of rec (hopefully), and lots of schools seem to like it - PLUS you'll be making money. Also, most research positions are really flexible with time so it's easier to work around studies, classes, and applying to dental school.👍

 

[rewJW]

I don't think you need to switch jobs and get a job in the dental field for your year off, as long as you shadow a sufficient amount of hours. Schools understand that some people need to work and that not everybody who is applying can land a job in the dental field with no experience. Just ensure that your job is flexible enough to allow you to go to interviews on often short notices. One school called me on a Monday to have me there that Friday. Since I work at a dental office they were more than willing to let me go on short notice. I know that at my last job in retail, this would never have been a possibility.

 

[JayhawkDental]

During my year off I have several things going on...
I called the research department at the Dental School where I live and they are letting me do volunteer research (part-time) in their school. You just have to know who to call and don't be afraid to email several people...the best option is in the PhD departments. Also, I work part-time as a dental assistant (on saturdays) and the afternoons as an orthodontic assistant. I am also doing dental volunteer trips to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Furthermore, this summer I will be taking two night courses in upper-level science so they don't say anything about me having a WHOLE year off of school...heaven forbid!! haha.
Sometimes you can volunteer as a dental assistant/observer at the dental school if you talk to someone. I did that this year also...every thursday. It is best to get your face seen and frankly, to help you decide if this is really what you want! If you have a rockin' GPA and DAT score then it doesn't really matter what you do in your gap year...just do something productive so you can utilize that in your interview. Have fun with the time off!!! TRAVEL!

 

[JamesOSU]

Do the job that makes the most money... the adcom doesn't care, they understand people need to work to survive... you don't have to be 120% dental to get into dental school.